Counting-machine.



W. B. MOON.

UOUNTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED $31 19, 1911.

1,046,835. Patented Dec. 10, 1912.

WILLIAM B. -MOON, OF SANDUSKY, OHI O.

COUNTING-MACHIN E.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 10, 1912.

Application filed September 9, 1911. Serial No. 648,420.

To all whom it may concern: v

Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. MOON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Sandusky, in the county of Erie and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Counting-Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to counting machines, and has for its object to provide a simple, efficient and compact counter in which the counter wheels can readily be turned to their zero position when desired.

In the use of counting machines, it has been found desirable to turn the counter to its zero position quite frequently, and therefore, the main object of my invention is to provide a turn-to-zero counter which can be manipulated readily, preferably by means of a key..

My invention consists broadly in the combination with a series of counter wheels mounted upon an arbor, and adapted to be operated thereby, of a series of ratchet wheels on said counter wheels, a splineway in said arbor, a series of pawls adapted to engage same and mounted on said counter wheels, mechanism whereby said counter wheels are turned consecutively the proper distance, and means whereby said mechanism is thrown out of engagement with said counter wheels and held there until said counter wheels are in their zero position, and means for stopping said counter Wheels when they are all in alinement and have reached their zero position.

My invention consists of those certain novel parts and combination of parts as will be described in the followingspecification V and-pointed outin the appended claims.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a front-elevational view of a counter made in accordance' with myinvention, part of the casing being broken away. Fig. 21is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the counter. Fig. t is across sectional view taken on the line 4:, 4,0f Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 5, 5, of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is an end elevational view, parts being removed for the sake of clearness. F ig.'7 is a view of one of the counter wheels. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of same, looking at the opposite side. Fig. 9 is an enlarged detailed view of certain operat and 5 the counter wheels mounted upon the arbor 6, which is supported in suitable journals in the frame 1. Suitable spacing sleeves 8 are provided along the arbor 6 to properly space the counter wheels and keep them in their proper relation with other cooperating parts. The counter wheels are all provided with a desired series of numbers, the counter wheel 5 being tight upon the arbor 6 and adapted to rotate. therewith. The other counter wheels are loose upon the arbor 6, but controlled by a pawl 9 pivoted inside each counter wheel (Fig. 7), and spring-pressed by springs 10 to engage a splineway 11 on the arbor 6. This pawl, it is Seen, will allow the counter wheels to move in an anticlockwise direct-ion freely, but not in a clockwise direction.

The splineway in the arbor, while being moved in a clockwise direction, engages the pawls 9 of the counter wheels as it comes to same and carries the counter wheels with it, the awls all being placed in the same relative position on each counter wheel. Thus no matter what position the counter wheels are in before the arbor 6 has been turned clockwise, they will all register with one another when the .arbor has'made one clockwise revolution.

The counter wheels are each provided with an alining ratchet wheel 12, which ratchet wheels are rigidly mounted thereon and are adapted to be engaged bya series ofcounter wheelalining and retaining pawle 46'. These paw'ls are mounted and are adapt I ed to rock upon a shaftl which is also journaled in the. frame 1. The alining and retaining pawls are also spaced properly by spacing sleeves 14 which hold the said pawls 1n proper alinement with the ratchet wheels; Each counter wheel is provided with two small teeth 15'(Fig. 8), extending laterally from the outer edge of same and on the opposite side from said ratchet wheels. These teeth are all in alinement with one another when the wheels are in their zero position,

as best shown in Fig. 3. Fastened to each loosely mounted counter wheel is a gear wheel 16, which is fastened alongside of the ratchet gear wheel 12 and is of the same diameter as the counter wheels. These gear wheels are-adapted to mesh with a series of pinion gears 17 mounted loosely upon a rock bar 18. Each pinion gear 17 is provided with teeth, every other one of which is cut away in order to allow' better engagement of same with pinion alining pawls, which will be described (Fig. 3). Thus each counter wheel when moved one revolution moves the next counter wheel a part of arevolution by means of the laterally projecting teeth 15 engaging the proper pinion gear 17 and the pinion gear by means of its teeth engaging the proper gear wheel 16 which is fastened to the following counter wheel. When the next counter wheel has made a complete revolution, the same operation takes place on the next counter wheel, and so on until the last counter wheel has made a complete revolution.

It is the paramount object of my invention to produce a counting machine in which all the counter wheels may be quickly turned to zero position. The mechanism making this possible will now be described.

The main arbor 6 is provided with two wings 19, which are adapted to be engaged by an operating key 20 which is provided with suitable recesses to receive said wings. The key 20 when placed on the arbor 6' is adapted to rock the locking .arm21 and the crank arm 22 upontheir pivots 23 and 13 respectively. A spring 25tends to hold the arms 21 and 22 in engagement. The locking arm 21 is provided with a slot 26 near its upper end which is adapted to receive an extension 27 on the crank arm 22. thereby preventing the crank arm from being rocked upon its pivot until the key 20 has been placed on the arbor 6 and has rocked first the arm 21 and then the arm 22 by means of the inclined surface 28 on the key 20.

The crank arm 22is tightly mounted on the shaft 13. Two crank arms 29 and 30 are mounted tightly upon the shaft 13,- and carry the rock bar 18 at their other end. Thus when the crank arm 22 is rocked, the shaft 13 is rocked, thereby rocking the bar" 19 through the agency of the crank arms 29 and 30, and throwing the pinion gears 17 out of mesh with the counter wheel mechanism. Suitable slots are also provided in the frame 1 to allow the shaft 18 to pass therethrough and still operate properly.

When the pinion gears have been thrown free from the counter wheels, they immediately engage a series of pinion alining pawls 33, which prevent thepinions from getting out ofalinement, while they are free from the counter gear wheels (Fig. 9). These alining pawls are all held stationary by the bar 34 fastened in the frame 1. Spacing sleeves 35 properly'hold and space the said alining pawls in position. I

To prevent the first counter wheel 5 from being turned backward until the key has been inserted, I provide a pawl 31' (Fig. 4), which engages the alining ratchet wheel l2, fastened to the counter wheel 5. This pawl 31 is provided with suitable slots 36 and 37 ,to allow it free movement when the rock bar 18 is rocked, the pawl being mounted upon the stationary bar 34. The pawl is held in engagement with the alining ratchet 12 by means of a spring 38 (Fig. 3).

In order to cause the counter wheels to come to a stop after they have been turned to their zero position, I fasten a small segmental gear 39 upon a disk. 40 (Fig. 11), which is mounted tightly upon the arbor 6 and rotates therewith. The segmental gear has two teeth 41. The recess between the teeth extends through the disk, the circumference of which coincides with the outer periphery ofthe teeth. The teeth 41 mesh with teeth 42 on a disk 44 and corresponding teeth ona segmental gear 43 which is mounted on the disk 44. The disk 44 is loosely =mounted on shaft 13 and vspring-pressed by spring 45 into engagement with disk 40 on v the arbor 6. The segmental gear 43'is provided with three teeth, the two end teeth registering with the teeth on the disk 44, the middle tooth on the disk 44 being out off.

Fig. 2 illustrates the position of the disks when the counter wheels are in their zero position. As the arbor 6 is moved forward in an anti-clockwise direction, the segmental gear 39 will rotate the segmental gear a short distance. As the arbor is turned farther around, the disks 40 and 44 engage each other, and the segment 39 upon coming around again will raise the segment 43 still higher until it reaches the position shown in Fig. 6. The segmental gear 43 will remain in this position until the arbor 6 is turned in a clockwise direction, due to the fact that the disks 40 and 44 are engaging each other. Now when thearbor is turned clockwise toturn'the counter wheels to zero position, the spring 45 throws the segmental gear into mesh with the segmental gear 39 as soon as said segment reaches the proper position, and then said segmental gear 39 operates it until it reaches the position shown in Fig. 2 again, where it cannot move farther, being stopped by st-riking the bottom of the counter. In this position the counter wheels are all registering zero along their reading line. This, of course, also re- 'vents the arbor 6 from being turned fart er.

When the teeth 42 on the disk 44 and segmental gear 43 are thrown into mesh with the first tooth 41 on the segmental gear 39 while the arbor 6 is being turned in a clockwise direction, the disk will not be moved all the way to the position. shown in Fig. 2 until the segmental gear 39 engages it the second time, due to the fact that there is only one recess between the teeth 41 on the segmental gear 39 which the first tooth 42 on the disk 44 engages. After the segmental gear 39 has engaged the disk 44 the first time, that part of the disk 44 between the teeth 42 is engaging the periphery of the disk-40 and. is thereby prevented from moving farther. The middle tooth 42 on the segmental gear 43 is now extending over the edge of the disk 40. When the segmental gear 39 makes a revolution, the first tooth thereon engages the overlapping tooth 42 and'operates the disk 44, which is free -to operate now, because the recess between the 'teeth 41 is now in position to receive the last tooth 42 on the disk 44. The arbor is then operated to the position shown in Fig. 2, where it is seen that the disk 44 is engaging the bottom of the counter and is thereby prevented from moving farther.

While the arbor is turning backward or in a clockwise direction, the pawls 9 in the various counter wheels are each being engaged by the splinew'ay in the arbor 6 in their turn according to the position of the counter wheels and when the splineway has engaged all the pawls, the counter wheels all turn together and all register with one another. This it will be understood only requires about one and a half revolutions,

and is easily accomplished by the time the segmental gears 39 and 43 have reached their positions shown in Fig. 2. Now in order that the counter wheels whose pawls 9 are waiting to be engaged by the splineway' in its backward movement, are not carried by the friction of the arbor 6, I provide a series of retaining pawls 46 springpressed by springs 47 into engagement with the ratchet wheels 12. These pawls hold the proper counter wheels until all have been properly engaged by the splineway 11 in the arbor, thereby causing all the numbers on said counter wheels to register in alin ement.

When it is. desired to turn the counter to zero position, it is simply necessary to place the key 20 upon the arbor 6, slightly turning it to cause the wings 19 on the arbor to enter the recesses in the key, and then turn to right or in a clockwise direction until it comes to a stop. The counter then registers zero along its reading line.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a counter, the combination with a series of counter wheels, of an arbor therefor adapted to be operated from one end with a key, interlocking mechanism for said counter wheels whereby they are operated consecutively, and means on said counter whereby said interlocking mechanism is thrown out of engagement with the counter wheels by the placing of the key upon said arbor.

2. In combination with a counter having a series of counter wheels, of interlocking mechanism whereby each counter wheel is operated consecutively, an arbor having a 'splineway upon which said counter wheels are mounted and which imparts motion to said counter wheels when operated, a series of pawls mounted -on said counter wheels and adapted to engage a splineway in said arbor, a series of spring-pressed alinement retaining pawls, ratchet wheels mounted on said counter wheels which said alinement retaining pawls are adapted to engage, a

locking arm, a crank arm,-adapted. to engage same, a key adapted to fit over said arbor and disengage said locking arm and crank arm, and means whereby said counter wheels are stopped when they have reached their zero position.

3,. In combination with a counter having a plurality of counter wheels, an arbor upon which same are mounted, ratchet wheels mounted thereon, of a rock shaft, pinion gears loose on said rock shaft, a locking arm adjacent the end of'said arbor, a crank arm, a shaft upon which said crank arm is connected, crank arms connecting said shaft with said rock shaft, a key adapted to be placed upon ,the end of said arbor and rock said crank arm thereby working said pinion gears out of engagement with the .counter wheels, and means whereby said pinion gears are held in alinement when they are out of engagement" with said counter wheels.

Attest:

PHILIP BUERKLE, AL. C. LERMANN.

WILLIAM- B. MOON. 

